A piece of land in Saskatoon’s Mount Royal neighbourhood will become a lot greener today thanks to a national green infrastructure initiative made possible by volunteers.

Elisabeth Walker, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society’s Living Cities Coordinator, says over 50 volunteers will be hard at work transforming the front yard of Howard Coad School into a native prairie garden.

Events like this are happening across Canada, making it a national initiative.

“Green Communities Canada is a national organization… There are projects going in in Manitoba and Ontario, and of course here in Saskatchewan by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society.”

The group will be planting plants, grasses and shrubs that are native to the region, including edible varieties such as Saskatoon berries.

The schoolyard site was selected because of its proximity to equity deserving groups and low-income neighborhoods, with the belief that they would benefit from the area most.

Walker says benefits from projects such as this include stormwater management, improving neighborhood safety, opportunities for physical activity, and improved mental wellbeing.

A similar project took place last year at Walter Murray Collegiate, and Walker says she expects more Saskatoon schools to benefit from work like this in the future.